Latest news with #YangXiaohua
Associated Press
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
ARC'TERYX unites pioneering women in Chamonix to explore ‘The Mountain Classroom'
SHE, THE MOUNTAIN SHANGHAI, March 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- 'In front of a mountain, everyone is same.' This quote comes from ARC'TERYX athlete Yang Xiaohua (Charlotte), one of the leading participants in the first documentary recently released by ARC'TERYX titled SHE, THE MOUNTAIN. As the Chinese athlete most likely to become the first female from China to obtain the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA) certification, Yang combines skill and passion to redefine limits on alpine terrain. To empower mountaineers and highlight the strength of women in alpinism, Yang Xiaohua, Ni Ni, a famous movie and TV actress, and Zhou Yijun, a documentary director and writer, traveled to Mont Blanc, France, the birthplace of alpine sports, to kick off 'The Mountain Classroom'. Together, they continue to ascend, becoming mountains in their respective areas of expertise. Hand in hand, they support each other's breakthroughs, much like the rolling mountains around them. ARC'TERYX brought them together in Mont Blanc to celebrate women's power in alpinism – SHE, THE MOUNTAIN. Her Path: Breaking Barriers Yang Xiaohua, 2021 Golden Rhino Award winner for Best Climbing Achievement, confronted gender bias early on. At her award ceremony, she was dubbed 'the beauty' instead of being fully recognized—a moment that galvanized her resolve. 'Beyond summits, I fight for change,' she states. Despite language hurdles, injuries and grueling training, Yang strives to pave the way for Chinese female climbers. Now preparing for the IFMGA certification (unachieved by any Chinese citizen), she sees mountains as life's passion: 'I was born for the mountains.' In Chamonix, Yang guided Ni Ni and Zhou through technical climbs, culminating in their shared lesson. For Ni Ni, the expedition mirrored acting: 'Mountains are obstacles and starting points.' Facing Mont Blanc's brutal winds, she found the mountains to be similar to her acting career in that both require absolute purity. 'Both realms demand absolute focus,' she reflects. Zhou Yijun, a war correspondent-turned-writer, connected climbing to her past. Asked during combat training for 'needing pink armor,' she now defies stereotypes. 'Pink or not, competence defines success. In professional fields—whether as a writer, a mountain guide, or an actress—capability trumps all. We should never lower the standards based on gender,' she asserts. On Mont Blanc, trust and strength flowed silently between the three women. Roped together on precipitous slopes, their bond transcended words—a testament to how mountains forge unspoken solidarity. In life's relentless climb, each woman ascends her own summit, redefining herself with every step. 'The mountains make us better,' ARC'TERYX accompanies every one of them as they continue to evolve and break through. In the wider world, with more and more of them, we are moving towards new heights together.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
China's elite don traditional garb for annual 'Two Sessions' talking shop
Sporting military uniforms and multi-coloured traditional garb, delegates from all four corners of China descended on the capital on Tuesday for the country's largest annual political event -- a red-carpet cameo for the ruling elite. China's "Two Sessions" kick off this week, with thousands of representatives of the country's top consultative political body and its rubber-stamp parliament gathering to talk about everything from economic policy to social issues. Security was tight around Beijing, with plainclothes police officers and elderly volunteers in red armbands monitoring for anything that could spoil the tightly choreographed conclave. On nearby Chang'an Avenue, cars trudged along in traffic and pedestrians were stopped for security checks. Many delegates sported the typical dark suit and tie of career Communist officials. But that was punctuated with the occasional pop of colour and traditional dress from representatives of China's 55 officially recognised minority groups. Yang Xiaohua, a delegate from southwestern Yunnan province, was wearing the intricately embroidered dress of her Naxi minority group as she arrived in the stately Great Hall of the People for her third year. A delegate to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the middle school teacher said she planned to propose education-related policies. She said she thought the ruling Communist Party was giving "more and more weight" to delegates' opinions. "There are surprises every time," she told AFP. "I think there's not much to say about China's overall direction, we are very satisfied." "Life has got better and better for ethnic minorities, so we hope the country will prosper and flourish, so that people can work and exist in peace." - 'Challenges' - Handfuls of representatives dressed in dark green uniforms of China's military brushed past journalists in the Great Hall. But other delegates were more keen to chat as they made their way to the assembly room. Wu Haiying, of northeastern Jilin province, said she hoped to work with the party to provide women with a better "childbearing environment". But she acknowledged the country was facing difficulties -- particularly in the economy. "But even so, in the process of national development and progress, we will still experience challenges – in economic development, individual development, career development," she said. Attending the two sessions as a CPPCC representative for the third year, Wu said "the feeling of seeing old friends is very good". Outside the theatre-like assembly room was an elaborate floral display in different shades of pink, with pots around the hall. - Optimistic delegates - Inside, delegates including President Xi Jinping and his top brass stood to sing a rendition of China's national anthem. Tuesday's CPPCC was low-stakes compared to the almost simultaneous gathering of China's legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), which starts on Wednesday. That meeting is widely expected to see Beijing hash out plans for a response to the many economic headwinds China is facing, from trade war threats abroad to sluggish consumption and a proper crisis at home. Delegates, unsurprisingly, put on an optimistic face when asked for comment by journalists. "I believe that in dealing with global and domestic economic development, China's economy will escape this puzzle," Ruan Hongxian, from southwestern Yunnan province, told AFP. "And I believe that China's economy will be even better developed in the future." mya-oho/je/dhw
